NHL Player News

Winterton will miss Thursday's game against Nashville because of an illness.

Winterton has four goals and 18 points in 62 outings in 2025-26. Jani Nyman might draw into the lineup Thursday as a result of Winterton's absence.

Copp (leg) is expected to be in the lineup versus the Canadiens on Thursday, Max Bultman of The Athletic reports.

Copp has progressed quicker than expected in his return from a leg injury. He has missed three games but is now good to go in a middle-six role. The 31-year-old should also be a candidate for power-play time now that he's back in the lineup.

Matthews underwent successful MCL knee repair surgery Thursday.

Matthews had already been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to a Grade 3 MCL tear and quadriceps contusion, and he has a recovery timetable of approximately 12 weeks following Thursday's procedure. The 28-year-old finished his 2025-26 campaign with 27 goals, 26 assists, 81 blocked shots, 42 hits and 18 PIM while averaging 20:48 of ice time. Given his return timetable, it seems unlikely that Matthews will be an option for Team USA at the IIHF World Championship, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him available for training camp ahead of the 2026-27 NHL campaign.

Stenlund will be a game-time decision Thursday versus Vegas, per Brogan Houston of the Deseret News.

Stenlund has four goals and 15 points in 66 outings with Utah in 2025-26. He missed Monday's 6-3 win over Dallas because of the injury.

Kindel scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Hurricanes.

Kindel has scored twice over his last four games. The rookie center is up to 17 goals, 32 points, 131 shots on net, 51 blocked shots, 27 hits and a minus-9 rating through 65 appearances. Expect Kindel to play in a third-line role moving forward since Sidney Crosby (lower body) is back in action.

Miller posted an assist and two PIM in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Devils.

Miller's helper was his first point in three games since he returned from an upper-body injury that cost him five contests. The veteran forward is up to 39 points, 116 shots on net, 106 hits, 20 PIM and a minus-26 rating through 54 outings this season. Miller should continue to see top-six minutes.

Zibanejad scored a goal on two shots, added two PIM and logged three hits in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Devils.

Zibanejad has four goals and seven assists over nine outings in March. He continues to play well this season despite the Rangers' overall lackluster results. The 32-year-old is up to 28 goals, 64 points, 176 shots on net, 89 hits, 45 blocked shots and a minus-20 rating through 67 appearances in a top-six role.

Draisaitl (lower body) was placed on long-term injured reserve Thursday.

Draisaitl sustained the injury in Sunday's matchup against Nashville, and the Oilers announced Tuesday that he would miss the remainder of the regular season. He had 35 goals and 62 assists, including 42 points on the power play, over 65 games. The Oilers recalled Roby Jarventie from AHL Bakersfield on an emergency basis in a corresponding move.

Copp (leg) will be a game-time decision versus Montreal on Thursday, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

Copp was injured March 10 in Florida and was supposed to be out at least two weeks. The center has eight goals, 37 points and 94 shots on goal over 65 games with the Red Wings this season. Should Copp return to the lineup, look for Sheldon Dries to be the odd-man out.

Laba (lower body) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Columbus, Mollie Walker of the New York Post reports.

Laba suffered a lower-body injury during Wednesday's game against the Devils, and he'll be unavailable for the second half of the back-to-back set. Jonny Brodzinski and Juuso Parssinen are candidates to enter the lineup Thursday, while Laba's next opportunity to suit up will be Sunday against the Jets.